Tag Archives: energy

a better life, action, adaptation, awareness, belief, belief systems, better choices, decisions, dreams, Energy, game of life, Goals, habits, hope, Imagination, life, long-term strategy, perseverance, risk, self improvement, spirituality, success, truths, Vitality, you

Resolve.

Assisting Phil achieve something he desores and cares about. Vv.

Assisting Phil achieve something he desires and cares about.
Vv.

Insatiable Desire

What do you think about most of the time? Every day.

What is your answer to this question? The great motivational thinker and speaker – Earl Nightingale said that –

“we become what we think about most of the time.”

What do you think, is there an element of truth in that statement? Well, what do you think about, most of the time?

If you don’t have an answer to that question, that’s ok, it probably changes every day. What’s important is not that you have an answer, no, what’s important is that you RESOLVE to desire and seek solutions by asking the right questions.

What is important as far as your success is concerned is that you have the desire to want change for the better. To resolve is the first step towards the successful achievement of any worthwhile goal.

You need insatiable desire to win and genuinely be unsatisfied with the status quo. You need to have courage to keep those desires burning and keep fanning those flames, despite the many failures you have had in the past. You need to keep thinking those thoughts that will get you there, every step of the way. This applies to all areas of life.

Your desire, your window to your soul should yell out to the world that you want something special for you – in spite of your past failures. In spite of your blood line or home life. You simply need the desire to win! Better still, if you could … travel into the future, what would your legacy look like? The quality of life in your family tree for generations to come will hinge on the choices you make with your family today.

If you knew my story and my family up-bringing, you would understand that no lack of money or resources or environment has ever stopped any man from going after what he desires … As the great Napolean Hill said – “weak desires produce weak results.”

All my desires have come true and still come true to this day. And so can yours …

This is why I have always believed that one man/woman can make a difference. A difference that will be magnified over time.

Striving towards the best version of you is a very worthwhile goal. Desire. Seek. Get. Vv.

Striving towards the best version of you is a very worthwhile goal.
Desire, NOT FEAR … achieves this goal. Seek, have NO FEAR. Get. Success.
Vv.

I don’t motivate people

I hate to use the word ‘motivation’ because it is one of the most mis-used terms in the modern language. It is over-franchised, exaggerated, over-promoted and greatly mis-understood. People have asked me countless times over the years how I motivate people that I help.

I usually reply by saying that I don’t do that – that I don’t motivate people. The motivation comes from with each person, it is an intrinsic calling and a very personal one. I just provide a vehicle (my unique framework to body re-engineering) to help them achieve their goals more efficiently, effectively and safely. I am very comfortable in saying that I help increase the awareness of people and help them, help themselves empower themselves.

I help increase people’s awareness in to the power that has always been there, but has just been laying dormant. I provide the catalyst to light their fire ... to fill and feel the light from within themselves … to light the darkness around them and for others.

You see, everything you do (which stem from the thoughts you have), everything we all do, whether positive or negative, intentional or unintentional is the direct result of motivation. So, you need to be careful what you think, every day.

Motivation comes from ‘within’. It is a force, a burst of energy that moves us to action and is not external, it springs from inside you.

You need to summon great motivation to keep on your path, despite past failures, doubts and naysayers. Remember, history is littered with many greats that turned past failures in to successes, for example, the great Winston Churchill was a very poor student but look at what a great leader and speaker of men he became.

I’ve helped thousands of students help themselves, find their BEST selves over the last 3 decades.
Each carefully tailored program helps them ‘build their bridge from where they are … to a place they desire/care with their heart’.
SImply because I care, providing them with ‘Care with Results”

Desire and Fear – part of the same coin

Psychology tells us that you can only really be motivated by two things:

  • Desire
  • Fear

Desire and Fear are part of the same coin but … They are poles apart. The first is positive and the second is negative and lead to opposite destinies as fear looks at life through the prism of the past and desire looks to the future.

Viewing life through the lens of desire, you are less likely to look at risks as restrictive. You will see risk as opportunity and will not fear the penalty of failure. This is because your dominant thought, the thoughts you think about mostly, is to be better and you desire better…

To win.

We all fall and fail in life. The main thing to focus on is picking yourself back up and …
Trying again.
That’s how most babies learn how to move from crawling to walking … and then to running …
and beyond.

Never be afraid, to be afraid

I’ve always believed fear should never be used as a reason for quitting; it is only an excuse! Most importantly, from my experience and from my observations of other people’s experiences, you should never be afraid, to be afraid.

Experience the emotion (being afraid), summon the courage and do what you are supposed to do anyway, that will help you realise your desire, your goal. This time, putting a better plan in place (part of the ‘goal-setting’ process).

Another thing I have learned is that if you wait for the perfect moment when all is safe and assured, it may never arrive. The opportunity may slip from under your nose – seize it while you can. Mountains may never be climbed, seas un-chartered nor happiness ever achieved if you waited for everything to be ‘just right’.

Ultimately, when the going gets tough…. The tough gets going as the saying goes. Never quit on life but most importantly, challenge yourself and strive to ‘win over yourself’ when the going gets tough. Like I sometimes remind my clients – “when it gets harder, you get tougher!”

You should make it a point to be better at assessing Risks. Most people should. They think they are good but … sadly, most are not.

Success is not reserved for the talented

Please don’t confuse what I am talking about with the seemingly insatiable desire in many parts of modern society that seem to associate drive, motivation and initiative only with materialism and materialistic power and gain. No, far from it.

What I am talking about is simply ‘personal achievement’ and the honest pursuit of individual excellence. This desire comes with the help from above, from God. My family includes in our daily prayer, the request to God to help us, help ourselves be the best we can individually be – for ourselves, first, and then for everyone else.

Putting aside any thought of material gain for a second, there is a certain pure personal pleasure that only comes with achieving the difficult. (like when I realised a ten year sporting dream of mine – to compete against the best in the world at the World Natural Bodybuilding Championships, in New York USA). Then, to make the Finals and place in the Top 5 in the World was a Bonus and was very pleasurable.

To do this, history has shown us that all winners have a very high level of motivation. Just like any other skill, this is something that can be learned and made in to habit, with effort.

So, eliminate doubt. Success is not reserved only for the talented. Talent is over-rated. Don’t think success is only reserved for those with high I.Q or for the rich and famous. It is not even in the best equipment, not even in ability.

Ultimately, success comes down to you and your thoughts and what you think about every day. You become what you think about mostly, as Earl Nightingale said many, many years ago.

I love Trees. Be like a Tree.

Go the extra mile

You have one life and you have one important choice – to build your life around desire rather than fear. So, choose well, my friend. Like I alluded to earlier, out of desire comes the most important driver and that is ‘energy’. This to me, is part of my overall philosophy of life and that is Life is about energy management.  

The extra energy to make an extra effort, to ‘go the extra mile’ is a vital key to success.

It is through the increased energy for your desire that you keep the drive and motivation, focus and persistence. It is through the extra energy that you develop ‘grit’.

You find that energy by looking within with God’s help or your spiritual side, not without.

So, there is no time to waste, make haste and make big plans, not little ones. There is magic in your thinking. In particular, there is magic in thinking big.

From me to you – Mr/Ms/Mrs Big, RESOLVE to re-align your daily thoughts towards your desires, not fears and ….. THINK BIG!

All the best in your journey through your life.

Until next time,

Cheers & AHoy!

The old Cap’n Viking Pirate Muscled Monk

Have courage. Dream … Dream BIG … Dream Better and most importantly … believe .. believe in your dreams … even when no one else does and …
Dreams DO COME TRUE and is proportional to your POWER WITHING : BELIEF.

Einstein was and is correct. The Man of last Century … the greatest thinker of all time … believes that everything comes down to Energy.
I believe that too.

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balance, balance sheets, Energy, spirit, spiritual balance sheet, spirituality

Balance Sheets should balance.

Body-building, like LIFE, is about balance and symmetry (harmony). All the muscles need to flow and you 'paint a picture of the 'flow of muscle' when you're on stage. Building muscle is hard but not s hard as attaining balance and symmetry. Body-building, like LIFE, is about balance and symmetry (harmony).
All the muscles need to flow and you ‘paint a picture of the ‘flow of muscle’ when you’re on stage.
Building muscle is hard but not as hard as attaining balance and symmetry.

I have had some experience with balance sheets, my first university degree was in Business. I also spent a number of years working for large multi-national corporations advising and consulting towards best practises.

If there is one thing I know very well with balance sheets, it’s that balance sheets should balance. Right? The right side must equal the left. Debits and credits should balance.

We constantly read and see in the daily news large corporations going ‘bust’ or even countries in recent times, sometimes not just Third World countries. Big banks who loaned out monies to help finance these businesses or countries have to suddenly ‘write-off’ millions and millions of dollars for debts gone bad. They would have likely set a provision for bad debtors in their balance sheet in the likelihood of debts not being recovered.

When a bank does this, it is known in accounting as good practise and in compliance with accounting standards. The lenders are said to be prudent.

I have always wondered what it would be like if this approach should also be applied to us individuals, in every area of our lives. I mean if some person has done you harm, must we retaliate with the same or worse force? Or should we set aside a provision (like doubtful debts in the balance sheet) for such actions to be ‘written-off’ against and forgiven?

There are many examples over the last two decades at the least, of companies demonstrating how accounting can be more of a creative art than a science.

Balance sheets should balance like a great body-builders physique should be balanced and harmonious (symmetrical).

What is your “spiritual net worth?”

As a Christian I was told in my early years of religious teachings that I will be held accountable for all my actions (sins and good) before entering the kingdom of heaven. This was my first introduction to balance sheets.

It seems that most if not all religions have similar teachings about each individual’s accountability at the end of his or her life. I have always thought that if this were the case and that most of us believe it so, then maybe, it would be a good idea to stop, reflect on past transactions (like a good Accountant), and draw up a ‘personal balance sheet’.

A personal balance sheet, maybe say, quarterly. An interim set of accounts for YOU. Drawn up from a trial balance consisting of what you have ‘taken’ on one side and ‘what you have ‘given’ back to life. A chance to review past transactions (behavioural patterns) to help predict the future. Each side of the trial balance should balance, after all …

.. balance sheets should balance.

You will find that there are some amongst us that just take and keep taking, with very little to give. I’m not talking about money here, even though this could also be considered in this point. I’m referring specifically to a person’s spiritual balance sheet. Your spiritual net worth, when you are held accountable at the gates of the after-life (whatever religion you follow).

Have you considered this?

What if God came through and acted like the large banks, with proper accounting practises of ‘writing off’ bad debts? What if your spiritual net worth was in the negative (in accounting terms)? Should you be collapsed like business gone bankrupt without any chance to continue? Should your life end, right there?

Should the receivers be called in? Or do you think you should be given some ‘slack’ because you hope to get better and can expect to get in spiritual surplus in the next accounting period? I know I prefer the latter. I’m sure we all do. Aren’t we all fortunate that we have such a God?

It nice to know that that is how God operates, isn’t it? Your sins (and mine) and all the bad debts(deeds) will be forgiven. Forgiven but not forgotten. He sent his only begotten son to live and die amongst us so that all sins may be forgiven, for all of time (this is our provision for doubtful debts taken care of).

This is prudent spiritual banking but very smart banking, I think.

Give and take. You should always take a interim account of your life. Is it in “balance?”

So, I’ll ask again, what is your balance sheet, your spiritual balance sheet?

Do an interim set of your spiritual balance sheet to assess how you’re going. It may just help you lower the risk of sinking to a spiritual net worth deficit. Not a good place to be. If you’re in this predicament, seek ways to start ‘giving back’ to life to balance off what you have ‘taken’. Seek balance in your life, spiritual balance.

Balance your spiritual balance sheet and watch how more balanced life will love you back. Spirit, after all equates with or equals LIFE. Specifically quality of life. When you lose your spiritual balance, you lose or lack those qualities we all refer to as spiritual. You become devoid of humanity, love and self-respect. At the worst, you may become selfish or even violent.

So, don’t leave it until it’s too late. Do an interim spiritual balance sheet TODAY. I believe if you do so, it will help you align YOU with life better, with the life’s energy.

Work towards your spiritual net worth surplus.

All the best in your spiritual journey.

Until next time,

Overcoming many small hurdles on your way to achieving your ultimate goal is encouraging. Progress, any form of progress is a motivating factor. So, don't strive for perfection, instead seek progress ... towards your ideal SELF. Vv Overcoming many small hurdles on your way to achieving your ultimate goal is encouraging.
Progress, any form of progress – especially spiritual, is a motivating factor.
So, don’t strive for perfection, instead seek progress … towards your ideal SELF.
Vv
Seek spiritual balance. It will align you with life's energy better. It will help you get internal/external balance. Vv. Seek spiritual balance. It will align you with life’s energy better.
It will help you get internal/external balance.
Vv.
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adequate sleep, Energy, life, sleep

Sleeping – there’s just no escaping it.

A good teacher is hard to find but finding a good student is even harder. Plan the work - to work the plan. Photo: discussing fine points of one of my programs with retired legend of rugby - Phil Waugh. Ex-Australian Wallaby & Waratahs Captain. A living legend of the sport of rugby.

A good teacher is hard to find but finding a good student is even harder.
Plan the work – to work the plan.
Photo: discussing fine points of one of my programs with retired legend of rugby – Phil Waugh.
Ex-Australian Wallaby & Waratahs Captain. A living legend of the sport of rugby.

A large part of most our lives is sleeping.

If you sleep eight hours a day and live to sixty, you would have slept 20 years of your life away. Wow, it’s quite sobering when you view it this way, isn’t it? I’ve always believed that each of us should sleep the right amount – adequate: nothing more, nothing less. Just adequate amounts of sleep. But how do you know what is ‘adequate’? What is ‘right’ for you? How many hours do you sleep every day – this does not include the hours you lay in bed playing with your phone or reading or ..?

It is a personal thing, a personal habit after-all.

In this era of ever-increasing distractions through the advancing technologies, people are finding it increasingly difficult to ‘switch-off’ and enjoy a restful, uninterrupted sleep. We all do it every day but a vast number of people have forgotten how to ‘have a good night’s sleep’.

People are really struggling to adopt and implement good sleeping habits and most are not sure of how to get them too. Very sad and very dangerous, indeed. When you lose control of one of our most basic needs – sleep, you increase your overall ‘life risk’.

But why? Why are more people having poorer sleeping habits?

Feeling the 'essence!' Practise does not make perfect. PERFECT PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT.

Feeling the ‘essence!’
Practise does not make perfect. PERFECT PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT.

There are many contributing factors, yes. There is no escaping it: sleeping is a ‘mini-death sentence’ we all have to regularly serve. Ideally, every single day. If this true then I would have thought that more people would be learning and investigating the best ways to get good sleeping habits. I mean, the average person would sleep 1/3 of their day away, it makes good sense to learn and implementing good habits, wouldn’t it?

The good news is it’s never too late to learn or re-learn.

You would probably have your own unique way of ‘falling asleep’. Well and good. Some of you (like me), could just transport your mind back to your early child-hood and imagine the way you fell asleep most nights. For me, I re-live the lovely, caressing hands of my grandmother massaging my body all over whilst humming a traditional song. It has NEVER FAILED ME. I fall asleep ALL THE TIME!

Don’t underestimate the importance of adequate levels of sleep in your daily life. The body, mind, heart and spirit all need ‘time-out’ and recovery time (for those of you who use weights to train, sleep/rest is vital to maximising muscle recovery and growth) to function optimally. Time-out to encourage longevity. Time-out to enhance your vitality. Time-out to allow you to be AT YOUR BEST. Time-out to evolve, to grow to adapt. Time-out to love – you, your loved ones and life. Time-out to generate zest in your life!

We all need time-out. We all need sleep and good rest.

It seems that there is an inverse relationship with increasing technology people’s abilities to sleep. Yes, to simply sleep! It’s not that simple anymore for a lot of people. Maybe, you? Whilst a lot of modernites are moving in to a ‘minimalist’ age, there still seems to be a struggle with this one habit: learning HOW TO SLEEP WELL. What used to be simple has been made complex!

Loading the 'guns' with proper execution.

Loading the ‘guns’ with proper execution.

And whose fault is it? Partly yours, partly mine, partly everybody’s. We all consume these products and we need to embrace it – yes. However, it seems that the more accessible people are to advancing and new technologies, the less able they are in managing their habits of good sleeping. Matter of fact, many people are applying bad habits of sleeping. Most are struggling to just sleep!

“What is the answer here?” you may be thinking. Well, I think, just like any other source of energy, you must become a better manager of the energy, the tool. You are in control, don’t let it control you. This can be more difficult than it sounds for a lot of people though as advancing technology also means that ‘personal/family time’ is now being invaded by employers. You’re working even when you’re ‘not at work (physically).

That is the life now. That’s just how it is. If that is the path you choose, then that is one of the drawbacks to the increasing use of advancing technologies: an uninvited, invasion of personal time/life (which may include ‘sleeping time’ too). Remember, I did say that it’s a choice: It’s YOUR CHOICE. It’s YOUR LIFE, after-all.

_O7A0283_C_small

So, if you’re not getting adequate sleep or ‘time-out’, please do yourself (and your family) a favour and seek help. Seek help from the relevant professionals and services available today that may help you with the various sleeping dis-orders that millions of people suffer from every single day. Not seeking help before it is too late could be very costly to you and everyone that depends on you being alive.

The killer is: the compounding effect of continuous less than adequate sleep over weeks, months, years.

Life is not just about living longer, it is also about pumping life (vitality) in to the years you have left. One very important habit that ADDS VALUE to your life is sleep, adequate sleep. You can ‘pump life back in to you’ by getting consistent adequate levels of sleep. It’s not the quantity of hours that matter, it is the quality of your sleep.

So, if you have increased disruptions in your sleep due to say, insomnia – seek help. Not next year, today. The disastrous result of the compound effect of continuously being sleep deprived can strike at any time. Without warning. Boom!

All the very best in your decision regarding the adoption of good sleeping habits, in the time you have left on this planet.

Choose well.

Until next time,

Another view of the "front-double biceps' pose.

Another view of the “front-double biceps’ pose.

~~Life COACH~~

~~Life COACH~~

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a better life, action, adaptation, ageing, asking questions, attitude, awareness, balance, beauty, better choices, change, Change Agent, chaos, choices, compassion, consciousness, dads, eternity, examined life, game of life, strengths

Simplify to Amplify.

You learn from children and then learn from us.
It is a two-way learning experience, not one way (parents to children like some people think)

Time will tell

I love being a dad.

I love being a father to my two children. Every day I am grateful for the blessing my wife gave when she chose to bring them in to this world.

Having children is a true blessing. I’m sure all dads reading this would agree.

I love being with my children – doing every single thing with them. I just feel I want to spend every single minute of my life with them. I truly thank my intelligent, strong, caring, loving wife for the opportunity to spend a big chunk of this phase of their lives with them.

It is truly a blessing I experience that not many dads out there have the opportunity to do so. They have learned a lot from me and I have learned many things from them already.

I love observing them, you can learn so much (I’m sure a lot of dads and mums love this too). Even in the first 2 to 3 years of their lives, I can tell how distinctly different they are to one another. They are poles apart in certain things and activities they choose to participate in.

For example, Zachary makes it very clear that he does not enjoy colouring or drawing, whereas Olivia has an obvious talent in this area. They have obvious inclinations towards certain activities. They tell us what they are interested in and we can certainly observe this through they repeated behaviour.

These are the traits that need to be developed, traits/strengths that need to be amplified to bring the best out of each child, each person. In simple terms, we need to simplify to amplify.

Time will tell.

Time will tell what truth our children search for

Know YOU – build on your strengths and appreciate your uniqueness

Zachary loves solving puzzles – particularly electronic gadgets or mechanical tools. Zachary had shown a much higher level of patience in the solving of shapes and puzzles than Olivia did at the same age.

It’s just his thing.

Pulling things apart and putting it back together again. He’s always asking the question ‘why?’ and he is very strategic. Already out-thinks me on occasion and he is only three and half years old. He would certainly keep my neurons stimulated as he grows with his strategic constructive debates.

I’ve always believed that due to our short time on earth, we need to firstly identify our strengths and work towards enhancing these through focused and deliberate practise for our future and for the betterment of man-kind.

It’s better use of our 86,400 seconds that we have every day.

Essentially, you need to know You – build on your strengths and appreciate your uniqueness just like my children demonstrate from such a young age. Despite being born from the same genetic blueprint, they differ in so many ways.

Dogs are truly one of man’s best friends

Why work on your weaknesses?

From when we were kids, the school system seemed to encourage the opposite: emphasising our weaknesses and telling us that we need to ‘work on our weaknesses’. Millions of people seem to be spending a lot of time ‘working on their weaknesses’ from the cradle to their grave.

What a waste of time and life!

Overcoming deficits or weaknesses is an essential part of the fabric of our culture, of our society, isn’t it? But why work on your weaknesses?

I mean everywhere we go, we hear stories, see movies, read books about the lotto winner or the underdog who beats one – in – hundred million odds.

It’s everywhere and that is one of the primary reasons gambling is so popular because each and every one of us have been brain-washed in to believing we have great chances of winning even though we may not have the natural ability to win.

However, every day we are bombarded with these stories and we get a deluded sense of the truth. It seems that we tend to celebrate those who triumph over their lack of natural ability much, much more than we celebrate those who capitalize on their innate talents. It certainly makes for ideal TV shows ratings and sells newspapers too.

Champions practise a lot of visualisation and simulation.
To create magic, you need to fuse the worlds of sanity (where you are) with insanity (where you dream/imagine you are, before you are).
That is difficult.
That is one of the key keys.
Don’t stop. Trying. Believing.
Keep on … keeping on. You’ll get there. Everyone always does.
Especially, if you do it with your heart. and ….
with LOVE.

Taking the path of most resistance

As a result of this over-inflated, deluded view of an aspect of success, we have millions of people that chase goals that are impossible. They see these, say, over-night multi-millionaires as THEIR HEROES and the epitome’ of success and so set their sights on conquering major challenges.

Unfortunately for them, this is taking the path of most resistance!

I mean in recent years we’ve all witnessed many examples of these poor souls embarrass themselves on the top reality tv shows looking for talent. How awful is this? I mean I couldn’t understand how people with no talent whatsoever are permitted to get on national tv and perform and get laughed at? It is great for TV show ratings and advertising dollars for the network but isn’t this degrading to the person?

It’s the same for certain sports or careers, it isn’t very difficult to observe that a teaching a fish how to climb a tree like a monkey will always result in disappointment. The fish will never be able to do what a monkey naturally does best and vice versa. A monkey will not be able to swim as well or as fast as a fish in the water. Each individual or animal needs to find the right environment to strive and perform at it’s best.

working to my strengths helped me be one of the best in the world at my chosen sport.
I could not have made it that far in say … basketball. Height is a genetic weakness.
Being strong with lots of power are strengths that when developed helps you achieve your truth.
Your beauty.

Know the difference between positive thinking and delusional thinking

These aspiring contestants then get asked to leave by the judges because, well, they simply suc$ed at it! Then the contestant breaks down and cries. The producers of these shows have milked this sob-story so well and I think most people have had enough of seeing these tear-jerkers.

I used to ask my wife where that poor person’s friends were? Isn’t that a role of a good friend – to tell him/her know how awful he/she is at the particular skill before getting on national tv to get humiliated.

The sad thing is that these contestants actually believe they sound ok. They actually believe that with an opportunity and working hard and getting a tutor, they would somehow miraculously be as good as their idols or as the judges. That to achieve success, it is only and all about hard work. And everyone – the whole audience and viewership seem to believe this too. Now, you could call this type of thinking ‘positive thinking’ but I think it more closer to ‘delusional thinking’.

You should know and understand the difference between positive thinking and delusional thinking. I think many in society believe and practise the latter, unfortunately.

Society does not seem to give credit to innate talent – and that applies to everything in life – in athletic ability, music ability, mechanical ability, spatial ability, emotional ability, spiritual ability etc. Hard work is important to success, yes – but its not the only important thing. Innate ability (or talent) is very important too.

Your life is a continous journey of setting, failing and succeeding in goals … until you … kick the bucket! Keep moving forward, I say!

A person can only perform from a platform of strength

I believe one of the most important responsibilities of parents is to observe and identify the talents and strengths that their children have. This can be done in the very early stages/years of their lives. It will save a lot of heart-ache and pain later in life – in the later teens and early twenties.

It seems that even though we change over time and personalities adapt, scientists have discovered that core personality traits are relatively stable throughout adulthood, as are our perceptions and interests. Even more interesting is that recent studies also show that a child’s observed personality at age 3 is very similar to his or her personality traits reported at age 26.

So, just being more aware as a parent and spending time with your children and really observing them would tell you a lot about their talents. This increased awareness would help give you some idea in the direction they may be more inclined to succeed in their adult lives.

Afterall, a famous management guru said once that a person can only perform from a platform of strength.

A plant of such beauty and delicateness has to have the right environment and conditions to flourish.
You and your strengths need the right environment and conditions to flourish.
FInd yours.

Learn to build on who you already are

Think about you, your life so far.

Are you doing a job that utilizes ALL your strengths? Are you fully utilizing your talents? Or are you doing something that your parents and/or family and friends expected you to do? I’ve seen and heard so many stories about kids entering University and realising they didn’t love Law, for example (which their parents or family expected them to do) was not what they were really good at. They then go back and do another degree or two before discovering their true strengths. Their true love.

They’re still one of the lucky ones.

Are you just doing your current job in a ‘half-hearted attempt’ – doing just enough to get through and not really ‘setting the world on fire?’ Well, are you? Don’t fret, you’re not alone. Apparently, a huge percentage of the world’s population never, ever get to reach their potential because they are not doing a job or work that utilizes their strengths.

Very sad indeed.

Very sad because you only have one life and you are doing something that would not bring your closer to your full potential. Not through the fault of our own but through generations of mis-direction and philosophy partly through the education system. Everyone is brain-washed to believing that they have got to spend all their lives working on ‘their weaknesses’.

One of the keys to human development and/or self-development is building on who you already are.

me in one of the environments where I am at my best and strive to be my best and have the necessary strengths to excel at this. FInd yours.

Journey of self-discovery

To do this, you need to increase your awareness of yourself. You need to be who you are.

But, who are YOU?

Within this journey of self-discovery, I am positive you will find the real strengths that lie within you (if you haven’t already done so).

Identifying your talents and developing them in to real strengths and aligning yourself with the right task is vital to reaching your potential in your life. By putting most of your energy into developing your natural talents, it would seem that extraordinary room for growth exists.

Continuously helping you become the best you can be … BEGIN help by helping yourself.
Then,
Reach out and touch someone … be the light for someone who can only see darkness.
Help them see ‘beauty’ .. see their truth.
Help them manage their insanity with sanity … their chaos with order.
Pray.

Two main conditions for success

I’ve said this before that the two main conditions for success in any sort of work are:

  1. Interest
  2. Confidence

People usually give little attention to these two very important variables because it seems it is very difficult to increase levels of both of these simply by an ACT OF WILL.

I think that is true, you cannot increase confidence by simply WILLING yourself to be. Just as much as you cannot increase your size of your muscles by sitting on your couch and willing it to grow!

This does not mean that it is impossible to change your muscular strength for example. If you lifted weights for repetition and gave your muscles the building blocks of muscle nutrition, you would increase your muscle density.

However, your ability to build muscle is limited to your genetic potential also. So, it seems that confidence and interest can be changed by taking the proper measures and having a step-by-step structured approach to developing these qualities in a certain area.

Important fact: People tend to show a greater degree of intelligence and knowledge in connection with their hobbies than in any other department of life.

You have only one life, so use your available time well.

True Leaders develop Leaders.
Here we have former Australian Rugby Wallaby Captain – Mr Phil Waugh, allowing himself to be led and coached to help him, help himself … find his best self.
Leaders have belief, they have faith but most importantly … they have hope.
That tomorrow will be better than today.

Each to their own

Work on your strengths and pay someone else to work on areas that you are relatively weak at. As a past client of mine use to always say ( he was a board member of several publicly listed companies in Australian and NZ) “each to their own!”. His wife (who I used to train too – for almost 6 years, used to make fun of him and how bad her husband was at using a hammer or tools like that).

He used to always remind me that it was better use of my time to focus on my strengths, saying “Focus on your strengths, son. Focus on your strengths!” and “ each to their own … “.

I agree.

His strength was in numbers and interpretation and story-telling of numbers. He recognised this early and worked and built on his strengths and became the success that he is today.

It is very difficult though, to find your true strengths.

working on what you can’t see is somethimes more important than wha tyou can.
Intuition and ‘feel’ is, I believe more important and more powerful thatn intelligence.
Then, you are ín tune’with the universe

Have Focus

Some people are lucky enough and find their purpose – ie., a cure for cancer or paint pictures. This ONE THING matters to them above all else – above comfort, wealth, respectability, safety, family ties or social obligations.

They have FOCUS.

Very few people are this fortunate and this clear cut in their goals in life, after becoming aware of their strengths very early on. Most men and women, I believe, are prepared to fit in, more or less, with the customs they find around them. To work at any job by which they can earn a reasonable living.

I’ve always asked myself that question – why is this so?

It also seems that there are probably some people who fall between these two stools I have mentioned above. These people (if they utilized and worked on their strengths) could be happier and have more growth and reach their potential in life with great certainty in a vocation that uses these traits.

However, it seems that they may fear or have the lack of self-knowledge or the courage or determination needed to break away from the life which other people expect them to lead.

Read that last sentence again: they are …. Afraid to break away from the life which other people expect them to lead. Afraid to do the work that nature designed them. I believe that maybe, in a perfect world, they would be encouraged to do such work.

Ask yourself: to which type of person do you belong?

Attitude is key at winning in the Game of Life.

Fear of Failure

I think the biggest FEAR that is holding people back is not FEAR OF FAILURE. No, it is really FEAR OF CRITICISM/RIDICULE from family and friends for the decision to pursue something career/vocation that they least expected you to do.

This FEAR OF NOT MEETING OTHER’S EXPECTATIONS OF YOU is what keeps people from taking a risk and believing in their own abilities/talents and working towards developing those.

It is very difficult. It has always been.

This is how it has been for the majority since the beginning of time. So, stop working on your weaknesses, and encourage your children to spend time and effort on their strengths. Strengths that you can quite easily observe while you spend time with them.

Reach for your potential through the development of your strengths. Spend more time on them, not your deficits. You’re a complex individual – every human being is. Raise your awareness of yourself and filter down to your top three to five strengths.

Simplify yourself – simplify YOU. Simplify the complex YOU.

Find out WHAT WORKS BEST.

Then, work hard at making these strengths the BEST. Make what works best for YOU, THE BEST. This is amplifying your strengths.

So, it follows that to achieve your potential, you need to SIMPLIFY TO AMPLIFY.

Have no fear.

Remember: No risk, no nothing (with positive thinking – not delusion thinking).

Choose well.

Until next time,

Explaining the fine points of re-engineering the physique and increased self-awareness through enhanced ‘mind-muscle’ connection..

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awareness, belief systems, Beliefs, Energy, life, you

Do you believe in miracles?

A good teacher is hard to find but finding a good student is even harder. Plan the work - to work the plan. Photo: discussing fine points of one of my programs with retired legend of rugby - Phil Waugh. Ex-Australian Wallaby & Waratahs Captain. A living legend of sport.

A good teacher is hard to find but finding a good student is even harder.
Plan the work – to work the plan.
Photo: discussing fine points of one of my programs with retired legend of rugby – Phil Waugh.
Ex-Australian Wallaby & Waratahs Captain. A living legend of sport.

So, do you believe in miracles or not?

I shared with you a story about my near-death experience in an earlier blog “I.Am.Nothing” and I mentioned that I would share with you the second story of the point I was trying to emphasise in that blog. The point being: that we are not alone, that ‘I am” does not exist …. That we are all outlying ‘balls of consciousnesses all connected (to various degrees and intensities) to the greater consciousness. This higher energy field. This Higher Force. This Universal Consciousness. Let’s just refer to it as: the Universe.

Let’s begin with a little hypothesis: We are ALL – ONE!

Well, that same friend I introduced in “I.Am.Nothing.” that asked me that loaded question regarding his realization that “I am” was not what it seemed was also part of this next story. What transpired reinforced my belief that I was and am part of something ‘bigger than me. That ‘me’ – this physical self that I know as ‘me’ was not really the ‘true me’.

It happened a few years after that ‘near-death experience’ I described in “I.Am.Nothing”. I asked the question of whether you believed in miracles. Well, do you? Or do you think that meaning links mind and matter like two sides of the same coin? That what we interpret as a ‘miracle’ is really just an example of the limits of our perception.

What I am about to share with you, some may consider a “miracle’. You decide …

Now, I told you that I have always loved mathematics and still do. I love the power of reasoning that you develop as you delve more and more in to it. Mathematics explains life (but I will go more into this in later blogs) but also helps you become a better student of life.

I remember being fascinated with mathematics all the way from kindergarten, through Primary and Secondary School. This love for it showed in my excellent placings in examinations throughout school years (I placed in the Top 2/3 of most of my subjects and in particular – Mathematics).

I loved it so much that I majored in Mathematics along with Physics in my first years at University. This friend of mine (who lives only 5 minutes from me today) was also doing a similar undergraduate degree as I was. He is a pretty good mathematician too.

This story is about an exam I took in my 2nd year at University. It was an advanced Calculus/Algebra mathematics examination. A 3 hour exam at the end of a semester. My friend did this same exam too. A pretty difficult, high pressured exam.

I am sharing you this because I believe what transpired reinforced my belief that we are not alone. That reality as we ‘see’ it is not what it seems. That we are all a walking, talking, sleeping, eating, sh%tting … “balls of energy/consciousness”.

Up until now, I have only shared this story with my wife, close friends and some family members.

In retrospect, two weeks before the exam date, I had a strange feeling come over me. I felt quite different. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I remember I didn’t feel like ‘hanging out’ with my mates or anyone else for that matter. I just seemed to be very focused.

I seemed to have an increased awareness of everything – internally and externally. I had a part-time job as an aerobics/body pump instructor and ran an aquarobics business at the University pool. Apart from this and my workouts, I seemed to have had an increased and somewhat overwhelming passion and love for mathematics in the two weeks leading up to the exam.

Like I said, I felt quite different. It was a strange feeling. It felt very weird. Something, an energy, a sense of vitality that I hadn’t felt since that moment in the car 2 years before that.

This was 20 years ago.

Retired Ex-Australian Wallaby & Waratahs Champion Captain & Leader - Phil Waugh. Setting his own standards of excellence in all areas of his life, following my framework. A champion such as Phil is celebrated because we recognize that he has overcome personal ambition through sacrifice and dedication to higher principles - higher standards. Great leaders & sportsmen and women like Phil, can awaken awareness of the principle of higher standards that rests within the heart of every man and woman. Awaken yours today!

Retired Ex-Australian Wallaby & Waratahs Champion Captain & Leader – Phil Waugh.
Setting his own standards of excellence in all areas of his life, following my framework.
Champions such as Phil are celebrated because we recognize that they have overcome personal ambition through sacrifice and dedication to higher principles – higher standards.
Great leaders & sportsmen and women like Phil, can awaken awareness of the principle of higher standards that rests within the heart of every man and woman.
Awaken yours today!

I don’t remember sitting the 3 hour high-level mathematics exam. I cannot recall anything that transpired during that exam and to some extent leading up to it. I remember how I felt though, I felt an amazing sense of euphoria and an almost fearless sense of intense awareness. There was a confidence level that was beauty personified. I felt this same thing about 11 years later when I represented Australia at the World Natural Bodybuilding Championships in New York.

A feeling of ‘one-ness’ with the universe. Being in what seemed to be in ‘perfect balance & symmetry’ or in perfect balance in internal/external harmony. It was almost like floating along on the notes of music. In perfect harmony. I seemed to have a condition of infinite power, compassion, gentleness and love.

But I do remember what happened after, very clearly.

At that time, the internet was still young. Exam results would get posted on the faculty notice boards – with the course name, student i.d number and marks awarded. When it was released, I was playing a game of tennis in the mid-day sun. As usual, I had my shirt off (thinking that I would get a sun-tan while I played: killing two birds with one stone, so to speak).

On this particular day, I noticed that groups of students were gathering around and peering through the fence that surrounded the tennis courts. They appeared to be watching my game. Initially, I thought that they were actually watching our game with interest but then more students gathered and now I caught some of them talking to each other and pointing fingers at me.

I didn’t know what to think. A lot of thoughts crossed my mind. I couldn’t believe me and my opponent (who was a top University tennis player) were attracting this growing number of on-lookers. This had never happened before.

I thought that they may have been watching my opponent because of his standing in the tennis fraternity at the University but then he said that they were watching ‘me’.

“Watching me?” I thought. Wow! But, I was only a casual B grade player at best. I wasn’t anything special in tennis, I just enjoy all sports and used it as a form of cardio. Then, I thought that maybe they were admiring my physique and muscles (that I had been working very hard in the gym for). So, I started striking a few ‘body-building’ poses after every point won or lost. Alright girls, here is my ‘front double biceps’! I thought. It didn’t make sense though, the crowd were now clapping for me whether I won or lost the point.

Finally, I walked up to a girl I knew. As I approached her, I noticed a few other faces that I recognised in the large lecture theatre that we had our mathematics lectures in. What was happening, I thought?

I said hi to the girl–friend I knew and asked her what she was doing here watching and why was she and everyone else clapping for me. She then asked me if I had seen the examination results. I said, no. She then smiled and asked me for my i.d number and then said that I had the highest mark. Well, I wasn’t too surprised because I had had first place finishes many times throughout my Primary and Secondary school exams. It wasn’t very new to me.

Then, she said – “No, Paul, you didn’t just get the highest, you got FULL MARKS. You got One hundred per cent!”

Now, I was flabbergasted and shocked with this piece of news. In a 3 hour major calculus/algebra university exam, I got a PERFECT score. Not, 98%, not 99%, not 99.9% …. No, but 100%!

I had to go and see it to believe it.

Helping Chris close the gap between how he imagines himself to be and what he sees in the mirror. Or in other words: Manifesting the 'unfolding universe' of his 'enfolded' invisible universe (what he imagines/dreams)

Helping Chris close the gap between how he imagines himself to be and what he sees in the mirror.
Or in other words: Manifesting the ‘unfolding universe’ of his ‘enfolded’ invisible universe (what he imagines/dreams)

People who I didn’t know, were coming up to me to congratulate me on this achievement. Even the eventual Mathematics Gold Medallist came up to me to shake my hand and ask me how l did it. He only managed 92% and he got the second highest. It was so difficult that less than 20 people (my good friend had 82% and was one of these) out of the hundreds of candidates had greater than 80% (A grade). I told him I didn’t know how.

We were given back our marked exam papers in the lecture theatre. When they called out my name, I received even more applause. The lecturer said that in the history of the University and the history of the mathematics examination and faculty, nothing like this had ever happened. No one had ever got FULL MARKS. No one had got a PERFECT SCORE! But …

I DID. I mean, think about it … I didn’t even have a comma or a derivative mark wrong. It was the perfect exam paper.

If anyone asked me how I did it, even today, I still don’t know how. I honestly DO NOT KNOW HOW I DID IT. I do know, however, that I wasn’t myself in the two weeks leading up to the exam but was heightened during that particular 3 hours (whatever I was feeling ‘peaked’ at this point).

I know one thing: I wasn’t myself, I wasn’t ‘me’ as I knew it. “Me” was part of something greater.

I strongly believe today, that it wasn’t ‘me’ sitting that exam. I believe that I tapped in to consciousness and consciousness ‘worked through me’ to sit the perfect exam. It seemed that I knew the perfect answer to any mathematics question relating to that course. That is the only way I can explain it.

This was another example of when ‘me’ was not ‘me’.

What happened was a mathematical miracle at that time (and still has not been repeated since – a record that may stand the test of time). Like an Olympic record that has never been broken in decades. It was, as some may refer to it – an anomaly.

I won’t take credit for my performance in that exam. It was not ‘me’. I believe I was just a medium through which consciousness transmuted through. It is another story of when my ‘self’ was part of a larger Universal – SELF.

I was truly ONE WITH THE UNIVERSE.

I believe it comes in certain bursts. It is available to all of us. An avenue through heightened sense of awareness and enlightenment. I believe each individual has the potential to allow the transmutation of that energy via the energy-field that is all around us.

Each person just needs to prepare their SELF to facilitate this connection with the Universal Consciousness. Each individual need to develop their recognition tools/mechanism.

When you do, I believe you tap in to great ideas, great innovation, great creativity (that is already there in your subconscious).

You tap in to infinite intelligence.

Tap in to yours today and allow infinite intelligence ‘flow’ through you.

Whether you believe in miracles or not, try to comprehend that the unfolded universe is merely a physical manifestation of the ‘enfolded’ universe within YOU. If you accept that everything is connected with everything else, then, there’s no such thing as an “accident”. Nothing is ‘outside’ the universe. There is no such thing as a ‘miracle’. It is just a limitation of your perception of reality.

So, if everything is connected, it follows that you should watch your thoughts. Be fully aware of your beliefs. Why? Because the critical point in any complex system is that which the least power is required to alter the whole system, for example, a single move of a pawn on the chessboard completely changes the possibilities of the game. 

Every detail of your beliefs and your belief system that you hold has consequences for better or for worse in the unfolded universe – in your reality. Work on changing your beliefs if they are not serving you as they did in the past. What served you when you were a child may not serve you now. Let those beliefs go. Be courageous to ‘let go’.

Work towards becoming more aware of the ‘real YOU’ in you and try keeping this formula in mind:

Do what you like to do best, and do it to the very best of your ability. You may just create something in the physical realm that may be referred to as a miracle…. but hopefully after reading this, you’re now questioning that thought pattern.

 

Until next time,

Manifesting the 'unfolding universe' in reality from the unfolded universe (invisible/imaginary). What's required to achieve "Peak Performance"?: the capacity to exhaustively utilize necessary experience combined with perseverance, courage, concentration, enormous drive and absolute integrity. TALENT ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH! Everyone needs a little helping hand (or two) in the successful achievement of a worthwhile goal. VV

Manifesting the ‘unfolding universe’ in reality from the unfolded universe (invisible/imaginary).
What’s required to achieve “Peak Performance”?: the capacity to exhaustively utilize necessary experience combined with perseverance, courage, concentration, enormous drive and absolute integrity. TALENT ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH!
Everyone needs a little helping hand (or two) in the successful achievement of a worthwhile goal. VV

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awareness, belief systems, Energy, life, Vitality

Life is about Energy Management, not Time Management.

The Best of the Best. Phil Waugh - retired ex-Australian Wallaby & Warrahs Captain willing to embrace knowledge. Increasing his awareness towards being the BEST HE IMAGINES HE CAN BE, using my framework. An A+ Student!

The Best of the Best.
Phil Waugh – retired ex-Australian Wallaby & Warrahs Captain willing to embrace knowledge.
Increasing his awareness towards being the BEST HE IMAGINES HE CAN BE, using my framework.
An A+ Student!

All the way from my first year as an undergrad when I was 18, I have believed that life is about Energy Management, not Time Management. I never understood then and I still don’t know why people are still so obsessed with the concept of time management.

I mean, it does not matter how well planned your day is, you will always have an inbox full of outstanding ‘things to do’ or ‘someday things to do’. And the reason is, well, we all have just 86,400 seconds a day. Nothing more, nothing less.

Time is, after all a finite resource or at least our perception of it, is.

Where are you in your life, your career? Let me ask you a few questions and get you to answer them in your head – honestly. Do you –

  1. Find yourself working 10 to 16 hour days
  2. Sleep poorly and make no time for exercise or very little exercise
  3. Find it difficult to eat healthy meals
  4. Grab a bite ‘ on the run ‘ .ie., while working at your desk
  5. Have less than adequate water every day because you are just ‘too busy’?

DO you find that the rising demands of your work requires you to put in longer hours? Does this never-ending increasing demands put extra stress  and eventually take a toll on you – physically, mentally and emotionally? Individually, this is harmful.

Collectively, this is disastrous to an organization and the economy, Rising levels of sick leave; lower levels of engagement; high turnover rates and soaring medical costs, amongst other things. Very costly indeed.

In the Quantum world the Experimenter becomes part of the experiment.
That is the “hard problem” of the Quantum

Do you feel like you are pushing yourself so hard for longer periods of time that you’re almost at breaking point? I think a lot of today’s modern working culture encourages this, and it isn’t getting any better.

Well, the answer does not lie in better ‘time management’ techniques.  No, like I said, time is a finite source. I’ve always believed the key to life is ‘Energy Management’. Because Energy is everywhere and everything, as Einstein summarised in his famous formula E=MC2. We’re all a ‘ball of energy’ or as I would sometime refer to each of us as ‘balls of consciousness’.

By focusing on self (and getting our ball of consciousness operating at optimal levels) we can communicate and tap in to the ball of energy out there – the UNIVERSE. That is, if we desire to reach our true potential in the one life that we have.

Energy in Physics can be defined as the potential for Work. Energy comes from several sources but I believe when the body, mind, spirit and heart are in ‘balance & fluid/symmetrical’, you move closer to your BEST SELF.

This partly defines what True Beauty is in my eyes.

When you keep your body, heart (emotions) and spirit in balance you find harmony in your mind. This harmony effectively energizes recharges individuals. I have helped hundreds of individuals through my programs and one of the most common pieces of almost immediate feedback I receive is their increase in energy levels and overall zest for life. My programs infuse people with the ‘essence of life’ infused with VITALITY!

High School and College students start getting top grades they never used to get; adults performance at work and other areas dramatically improve; they stress less and get more done.

This is where rituals are very important to maximising your energy potential every day. Within my framework, I get my students to religiously practise certain rituals every day. Rituals that involve key habits that are aligned with the achievement of their goals. A critical component of energy optimization is working your muscles the way its meant to be worked: with weights. 

With an independent survey of all my students over the last 10 years that have gone through my programs showing that over 84% achieved or more of the results they set out for. A significant contribution to these students successfully achieving their goals and results is their increase of and management of their energy.

Sufficient and appropriate daily rituals are paramount for optimal energy levels all day, every day. I have concluded that these rituals (or habits performed deliberately at specific times, religiously) that I have identified and recommended for them is a critical component of each student’s energy expansion or increasing ‘slice of vitality’ in their daily lives.

These habits don’t have to be over the top. They are simply the ‘little mosquitoes’ in their lives. It could be as simple as are you having adequate levels of water each day? If not, try consciously drinking targeted daily water intake. Maybe, start going to sleep a little earlier and so getting more rest each night.

Try it. These small changes have a huge impact on energy and helped my students. Try it, it will help you too. You’ll see what I mean. You will start to feel infused with a certain level of energy you didn’t have access to before.

You will have more capacity or more potential, more energized!

Like an FM station, just one point off gives you an irritating “shhhh…”

I have being saying for over two decades now that Energy is key to a fruitful life. It is the key to everything. Yes, it is very important to invest in skills and knowledge and raise one’s competence in the work force but pales in comparison to better personal Energy Management in the long term.

You see, it’s like your mobile phone battery, it only has a few hours before it needs to be charged again. It cannot perform at maximum performance for too long. One will need to recharge it again. So, every individual I believe, should be more concerned in investing time in their energy potential or capacity and sustain it.

This is taken for granted in today’s world. A winning F-1 driver has scheduled ‘pit-stops’ to recharge, re-oil and get worked on by his team of engineers to sustain his and his car’s energy capacity for the duration of the race. Every person should look at their lives in this manner when it comes to their energy management and sustainability over the duration of their lives.

This is very important for both the long term and the short term. Wouldn’t I be correct by saying that greater potential or capacity increases chances of getting more done in less time and with higher levels of focus or engagement in a task? You know it makes sense.

I have witnessed this positive change built and sustained in the hundreds of students who have gone through my programs over the last two decades.

Like I said – the body does not lie.

To this end, because of our increasingly ‘busy’ days, people have increasingly lost their intuitive ability to ‘listen’ to the signs their body is crying out to them for help. Signals like drinking water; difficulties in resting (feeling restless), hunger and the ability to FOCUS!

Transmutation of Energy via a complementary style. Photo; Retired Legend of Rugby, Ex-Australian Wallaby & Waratah Captain - Phil Waugh fully focused on task he has his both hands on. Set your standards!

Transmutation of Energy via a complementary style.
Photo; Retired Legend of Rugby, Ex-Australian Wallaby & Waratah Captain – Phil Waugh fully focused on task he has his both hands on.
Set your standards!

Many people ignore these signals or simply no longer have the ability to recognise them. You don’t use them – you lose them. Just like your muscles and your brain cells!

Not acting on these signals has consequences. The consequence in the short-term is that your energy source or potential burns less as the day progresses. In the long-term, it could mean a shorter life or less than optimal 2nd half of your remaining life now.

I know in today’s world, where ‘being the busiest’ seems to be an Olympic Sport for workers, suggesting the implementation of some of the habits on a daily basis is counter-intuitive for high achievers. Or, recharging your batteries by taking a short nap could be considered insane. But, is it really?

I believe otherwise.

It makes perfect sense. It makes high-achievers even more productive. It makes everyone who are willing to make these little changes, a super-version of themselves. Act today, don’t leave it for tomorrow. Your life depends on it!

Tesla, Einstein’s hero was so “in-tune” with the Energy & understood HOW to harness that Power energy

Taking intermittent breaks (like a F-1 driver), for example, during the day should result in higher performance and more sustainability. Quality breaks, not quantity should be the goal here. I have seen people sleep for over 10 hours per day and still seem more restless after all the rest. Quality should be the focus if you are to help build and sustain your energy reserves.

I will talk about emotional and spiritual energy management in future blogs. For now, just know that if you take better care of your Energies (the only true thing you can control), the more closer you get to fulfilling your true potential.

I have seen them, so perhaps have you – people who love life. With bright eyes, taut skins, and great smiles. They look as if they have been newly minted.

How do they do it?

Partly through respect for self – respect for the bodies, minds and deeds. You see, Vitality does not seem to be as objective as weight loss, exercise, diet etc. It is more subjective. It seems to ‘come from within’ rather than achieved through outwardly efforts.

When you find one of those people, with that glow, ask them their secret. Then, contact me please and tell me all about it. If a few readers of this blog do this, we may be able to deduce the magic formula worth more than a rainbow’s pot of gold.

Become part of this search today.

And don’t let the life get sucked out of you before your time is up on this earth. Infuse your self, your being, with vitality through better energy management for life – in the short term and the long-term. Build muscle. Infuse yourself with vitality. Do you very best to preserve it. After all, Life is like muscle. Then …

.. Share your vitality and gifts with the people you care about most in the world.

Life is about Energy Management, not Time Management.

Best of VITALITY TO YOU and your family!

 

Until next time,

Einstein knew & understood the interconnectedness/synergy between Energy.
E = mC2
Simply put : all matter (visible & invisible is Energy)
I believe the “essence of life” is the ability to manage energy or Transmute Energy within & without YOU

All photos taken by: Robert Walsh of Robert Walsh Photography. Visit: “www.robertwalsh.com.au” for more information on how he may be able to help you with your photography needs.

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awareness, belief systems, Beliefs, change

I.Am.Nothing.

Retired Ex-Australian Wallaby & Waratah's Captain - Phil Waugh doing triceps press-downs and "feeling the essence" with perfectly performed repetitions. A great example of a human being striving to be the BEST he can be - for himself, first and then, everyone else. All day. Every day.

Retired Legend of Rugby, Ex-Australian Wallaby & Waratah’s Captain – Phil Waugh doing triceps press-downs and “feeling the essence” with perfectly performed repetitions.
A great example of a human always striving to be the BEST he can be – for himself, first and then, everyone else. All day. Every day.

I.AM
Do you believe in miracles?

I do.

You see, just today a very good friend of mine from my undergraduate university days (over 20 years now) sent me a message saying that the suggestion I gave him with regards to playing the “I am” game worked. I shared with him the game I thought up to help my children sleep at night. It works for my children and I did ’not see why it would not work with his.

Well, he just wanted to say that it has worked with his son and he shared his gratitude with me. However, he asked me a question followed by an enlightened question. The question was “Paul, is there more to the I AM statement than what I am telling him? He was beginning to realise that “I Am” is a different entity/thing. He asked me the question “what is it?”

Now, I told him that there was no other use for the game other than what I mentioned in my earlier blog on “I am”. However, it got me thinking about whether there really is an “I” in I Am.

Have no doubt.
Help yourself first.
You are more than just YOU…
God will meet you half way …
he ALWAYS does.
All you ahve to do is: BELIEVE.


connection is a “contact “ sport
You see, I have always believed that we are like mini-human-phones/computers all connected to a larger power-source (the universe force-field). Some people have stronger connections to this universe than others. connection or connecting is a contact sport. 

The weaker the ‘connection’, the more you suffer in life. Your beliefs and belief system has a lot to do with a lot of your physical suffering.

I have always believed that “Your body does not lie”. Period.

I have deduced this from my lab in the gym helping thousands of people over the last 20+ years. All illness in the physical realm stems from a weakness in the spiritual realm. This included emotional illness too which almost stemmed from the perception people had of themselves. That their personalities were themselves. Ruled by their egos.

True?
Neuroscience is still at the level of where medicine was in the 1700s
A long way to fully understand who we are….
Who “I AM.”

A question I’ve wrestled with for many years 
This realisation that we – each of us may be part of a greater network (for want of a better term) of consciousness has come to me many times over my 40 years on this planet 🌎.it is a question I’ve wrestled with for many years

I think my friend has a very good point because I did come to a realization many, many years ago in my late teens.

I have two stories to share with you (but will share the second in a future blog). The one I am going to share here, I have only told a handful of people in my life so far and now I am going to share it with you …

One day about 23 years ago, before I stepped in to the gym I would eventually own 15 years later (I saw myself owning it from the moment I first walked in to the place and I was only 17), I was driving along a major free-way about 5 minutes from home. It was between 5am and 6am somewhere and the sun was just beginning to rise. I hadn’t slept for 24 hours straight. My cousins and I had gone out to the city for a night out and I was the designated driver (well I didn’t start drinking until about 21). I was still only 17.

I was driving at about 70km per hour, passing a set of lights as it turned ‘orange’. I was on the inside lane of a 3 lane freeway. At that point, the Sun was rising and it’s morning rays shone in to my eyes, blinding me temporarily. I was caught between deciding to close my eyes or keep it open.

Believe or not believe.
Get your ass off the pole of the fence (stop sitting on the fence!)
Choose.


Closed my eyes

I closed my eyes.

It felt so good. I would have closed it only for a second or two but it seemed like eternity and I wanted to just leave it so. Like I said, it felt so good. My tiredness disappeared and was replaced by a delicious warmth … and then a state of peace beyond all description.

It was as if I became oblivious of the physical body.

But then … a voice in my head said “Paul, open your eyes”. It sounded like my grandmother who I was very close to until she died when I was 13. I didn’t want to open my eyes …

but I did. I loved her and would do almost anything for her.

The quality of your Neuronal Connections in your brain 🧠 is a good analogy to the quality of connections you have in life.
Quality connections of neurons depend on its contact with others. Connections is a contact sport.
Responsible for transmission of critical electrical, chemical & hormonal messages -internal communication

Frozen in Time

When I opened my eyes, I realised that I was driving my car (with my cousins in the back seat, still fast asleep intoxicated with alcohol) but there was a lamp post I was just about to crash in to.

In that instant (it would have been less than a second … but which seemed like an eternity), I saw my whole life flash before my eyes. But before this happened, I felt intense fear. I have never felt fear like this ever since. There was a freezing shiver that ran up my spine and it seemed that my heart cried out in tears that were frozen in time.

In that space of time (which seemed like an enternity), my thoughts focused on manouvering the car away from the pole which seemed to be only a meter from the car bonnet. It all happened so fast.

The Brain 🧠. The Real Power rests within this living organism… between the billions of neuronal network… Great thinkers know that thoughts 💭 change the world. Guard and work on your thoughts … every single day. Your most important investment.
The mind.
I AM.
Use this most complex tool every created to become a better medium of communication to …. the universe, to infinite intelligence … to consciousness.
To your GOD.

I.T, happened 

In that instant, that cold shiver in my spine disappeared and then it happened.

I felt a state of peace beyond all description. This was accompanied by a suffusion of light with my life to that point flashing by at lightning speed. I was filled with what seemed like love. An overwhelming sense of love. Infinite love. For that ‘split second’, I believe time and space became one with me … and stopped or it seemed like. My perception of time and space was like nothing I had ever experienced.

It seemed like I became oblivious to my physical body and it seemed that my awareness fused with this light that was flashing before my eyes, flushing me with all my ‘life moments’.

it felt as if I was now fully connected with the universe… with consciousness.. interconnected with time and space so intricately, I was ONE with it.

that I was not me. Me was not an separate entity … me was nothing as I was part of a larger living whole. “I” was non-existent.

I. AM.
GOD?


I was in an illuminated state.

My mind stood still. My mind went silent. It seemed that all thought stopped. I was at my happiest. I was at peace. Fear vanished.

I am writing you this blog today because I survived that car accident. I have lived every second since that day, very differently. It changed my perception of life and the world forever.

You could say that I had a “near-death experience”.

After that experience, my accepted reality of the world seemed only temporary. Traditional religious teaching lost a lot of significance. So much so, that the loss of traditional religion spurned a personal discovery of spirituality.

ON that day, I believe that “I” didn’t really exist. That “I” was really a small, insignificant part of this larger, greater “I”. This greater “I” really determined what happened in my life.

“I am” didn’t really exist and “I” is NOTHING! It was this energy-field. This energy-field is the universe and we are all part of this universe.

We’re all connected to this greater force-field, we are ONE with it. I became ‘one with the universe’ at that moment where time stood still when I opened my eyes and so my life ‘flash’ before my eyes.

There is no “I am”. There is no ‘me’ so, if there is no “I am” and there is no ‘me’, then, it follows that “I AM NOTHING!”

I believe that so. We are all outposts of balls of consciousness that is connected to this universal consciousness. This is the real “I” in the “I AM”.

To strengthen this ‘connectivity’ to this wireless technology (that we call the universe), one just needs to replace ‘unloved’ with love. One needs to genuinely live with care and kindness. This is all that is required. The fruits of this will show itself in time.

One must also have patience and one must be compassionate towards everything, including one’s own self and thoughts. “I am” melds in to ‘nothingness’. Ponder on this thought for a moment…. And realise how profound this realisation of “I AM NOTHING” is. It is enlightening.

We are all part of ONE. One universe. Most of us just don’t have the right tools/applications to interpret the messages we perceive in the correct way.

You, me .. we … all are ONE with the universe.
With time & space…consciousness, itself.

I.AM Nothing but I AM God
So, I think my friend is on to something very profound at this phase in his life. The realisation that “I am” is more than “I – AM” and NOTHING AT ALL!

I am happy for him. His realisation. It is his journey through the sea of life. It confirms something I concluded on and changed my life forever that early morning driving home from a ‘big night out’ on the town. It changed my life forever.

From my perspective, I agree with my friend – “I Am” does not exist. “I am” is only an instrument of a larger “I” and that “I” is the universe. It is GOD or whatever you want to call it. it could be that I Am Nothing but I Am God and so to see you.

But, for now this “I Am” game I created to help my children (and now my friend’s kid) sleep better – works. We will continue using it until it becomes useless.

Strengthen your connection to this “I”. Leave your “I am” on the floor. Leave your ego at the door! It’s not worth the pain and suffering you will endure if you let it run your life.

Live every day as if it were your last. I know I do.

Choose wisely.

 

Until next time,

Explaining some of the little things (mosquitoes) that add up to the larger things in body re-engineering. Retired ex-Australian Wallaby & Waratahs Captain - Phil Waugh.

Explaining some of the little things (mosquitoes) that add up to the larger things in body re-engineering.
Retired ex-Australian Wallaby & Waratah’s Captain – Phil Waugh.

Writing things down sometimes helps in the communication process. The goal is not communication. The goal is EFFECTIVE communication. Sometimes lacking in all areas of life ie., 'being on the same page'. A+ Student: Retired ex-Australian Wallaby & Waratah's Captain listening intently.

Writing things down sometimes helps in the communication process.
The goal is not communication. The goal is EFFECTIVE communication ie, ‘being on the same page’.
A+ Student: Retired ex-Australian Wallaby & Waratah’s Captain listening intently.

~~Life COACH~~

~~Vitality, Health & Lifestyle Coach/Entrepreneur~~

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No Brain, No Gain.

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I love a lot of old school training philosophies. Most are simple, to the point and cut out a lot of irrelevant stuff – things some of us refer to as ‘BS’.

While I adopt some of these fundamental training principles in my training I always assess the relevance of anything towards my goals and my needs. For example, assessing the legitimacy and relevance of a saying I have heard over the years:

“No pain, no gain”.

Put simply, I don’t fully agree with this. While I agree in simplicity for most things, I think this statement is too simplistic and too ‘black and white’. There are many ‘grey’ areas that should be considered especially in regards to the “risk-to-benefit’ ratio of exercises chosen.

It’s working out with your ego not in check. I have always believed that if one of your aims is to train in such a way to get the most benefit out of the time invested in your workouts, then you should leave your ego at the door.

Also, I think it is quite a negative slogan and should be replaced by something that is more positive and relevant to today’s every-day-person – like maybe:

“No brain, no gain. Don’t train.” for the thinking bodybuilder.

I believe everyone who ventures in to this world and lifts any weight to assist themselves towards a better version of themselves, is by definition, a body-builder (whether you’re a grandmother lifting 1kg weights or a powerlifter squatting 200kg.

Everyone should strive to be a ‘thinking body-builder’.

To truly benefit from this, one should learn the basics of old-school training techniques with selected exercises that give optimal results, with safety in mind.

You must choose the right system of training for your specific goal in order to get the most benefit from your workouts in the shortest time. Ask yourself what is your top 3 goals and then narrow it down to the most important goal. Is it strength? Is it power? Is it a combination of strength and muscular growth?

You see, what I have found in over 23 years in the gym is that most people don’t have a plan, no, most people have what I refer to as a ‘goal’ or objective and their training program is haphazard at best. They try so many things at the same time, while all the while, hoping that they will strike it lucky. It is quite evident that similar patterns of behaviour happens in other areas of life too for some. For example, you see this in the popularity of games of chances – like lotto and gambling machines, despite the extremely low probability of hitting a jackpot, people still participate, losing more and more of their finances.

I have asked many gym enthusiasts over time, questions regarding why they have adopted a new ‘fad’ of training. I might ask them why they work out a certain body part first or do certain exercises before another in their routine, or what their goal is in doing 50+ repetitions on an exercise they either have an illogical answer or no answer at all.

Or, they are just doing it because their friends are doing it. Very sad indeed as they may not have considered the risks they are putting themselves under by following blindly.

Most people go about their training in a manner similar to someone who tries to bake a cake without any recipe laid out for them. They know bits of information, for example they know they need some sugar, some flour, some butter and need to put in in the oven. However, they have no clue about the temperature they need, how long they need to bake it for and other smaller, but important ingredients that go in to a beautiful looking and tasting cake.

Chaos results in the kitchen and frustration and higher risks of injury prevails in the gym. Not smart at all.

The human body and mind is a very sophisticated machine and to re-engineer it without a plan from an informed person is like building a house or an extension to a house without an Architect’s plan. It is fraught with higher risks.

Wasted effort. Wasted time. Very inefficient. Ineffective and unsafe. Not ideal indeed.

What you need, and what most people around the world need is a ‘working plan’. This is what smart training is all about. Increase your awareness of yourself, determine your needs and then seek help.

Here is a check-list of my 9.5 key factors to consider when you are selecting a type of workout or workout schedule:

  1. Your main goal.
  2. An honest assessment of where you are at – key KPIs on your health and fitness status.
  3. The duration of the program (3 months, 6 months, 6 weeks?)
  4. The rigidity of exercise execution (what emphasis is there on strict form).
  5. Rest time between sets.
  6. Total number of sets performed (per exercise; per muscle group and per workout).
  7. The amount of weight to be used (start, during and end of exercise).
  8. The tempo (speed of individual sets – at the start, during and end).

9.5 The number of reps (per set – at the start, during and end).

So, let me say it again, before seeking help from a suitably qualified and experienced professional, make sure you at the very least, think about what your main goal is. The professional could help identify your destination and help you formulate a plan that would give you answers to the above key variables.

And why would you want to do all this?

Well, you would not go and see or get advice from a plumber if you needed help with your tax return now, would you? I would hope your first port of call is an experienced qualified Accountant.

Become a thinking body-builder, no matter what age you are or how experienced you are.

And remember…. No brain, no gain – no train.

All the best!

 

Until next time,

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12.5 of Life’s Living Tips to live by.

 

Checking for tracks on the ground for past visitors?

Love life and life will love you back.

That wide?

Life Tips – too many to count – that wide.

I am sure by this stage in your life you have come across many health tips and are practising some and have not even considered others for whatever reason.

There is certainly no magic formula to optimum health and fitness but you can make your life a little more liveable by doing a few things a little better.

To improve your overall personal immunity.

What you are today is to some extent the cumulative compound effect of the habits you have decided to make a part of your life. Wonderful, I hope.

I have listed some health and hygiene habits I practise daily and I would like to share them with you. These are only 12.5 tips. I have found these tips to be both true and effective in cultivating outstanding health and fitness habits.

Habits that have added to my life and I am certain will positively add to your life rather than subtract.

Have a read and see if you think it beneficial to your life. It has been to mine so far:

  1. Drink water first thing upon waking with a hint of citrus:
    1. Try drinking a glass of water (250 ml) upon waking in the morning. If you can, try squeezing in some lemon and a drop of honey.
    2. Drink 1 litre of water per 25 kg of bodyweight. So, a 75 kg person should be drinking a minimum of 3 L of water daily.
  1. Brush your teeth after every meal:
    1. If you can, brush once after every meal and once before going to sleep at night. I eat at least 6 times per day and I brush at least 4 times per day.
  1. Eat a balanced diet:
    1. Concentrate on a diet of good wholesome food.
    2. Try to do without white-based flour products and sugar.
  1. Chew well:
    1. Digestion starts in your mouth as you’re well aware.
    2. Make it a little easy on your stomach muscles and digestive juices by chewing your food well. Take your time and enjoy the essence of each food you consume.
    3. Try not to talk too much while you’re eating and focus on your food more. You should remember that it is not only important to consider quantity and quality of source of your food. You should also ask yourself how well your body is absorbing and assimilating all the food you’re eating.
    4. Liken your digestive system to that of a factory. Have you asked yourself how much ‘wastage’ your digestive factory is incurring? How much of the input (food) you’re taking in is actually being used for and by your body? How efficient and effective is your digestive system? Well, you can reduce your ‘wastage’ significantly by simply chewing well or better than you are currently doing.
  1. Apply good moisturiser to your skin after you shower at night:
    1. Aim to use a moisturiser that has Vitamin E and soborlene for improve health and elasticity of your skin.
    2. Stay away from other combinations.
  1. Get enough fresh air and direct sunlight every day:
    1. The health and vitality of you and your body (and mind) needs the sun’s rays. Even if you’re very, very busy at work try and take at least 20 minutes out to get some fresh air and sunlight.
    2. Be sure to use a good sunblock too (if you’re fair skinned).
    3. For people living in countries with very little sun, it is vital for your vitamin D production, the presence of which is necessary for your immunity against common ailments in addition to other benefits.
  1. Do your plumbing (#2s) in the morning:
    1. Try and get in to the habit of ‘sitting on your throne” and excreting your waste in the morning before work or your work out.
    2. My children and I refer to this activity as the ‘boom-boom’! Call it what you will, train your body to do its plumbing first thing in the morning.
  1. Keep your mind calm and have a positive attitude:
    1. At all times, everyday.
    2. Strive to never lose control in all areas of your life.
  1. Make your exercise sessions a pleasure not a burden:
    1. Use the hour in the gym as your ‘meditation hour’
    2. Your time to work on your internal muscle and external muscles
  1. Train at least three times per week:
    1. Weight training in the gym is a must. The benefits to you is a no-brainer!
    2. Follow your weights session with 20 to 30 minutes cardio of ‘power-walking’ ( I will elaborate in a future blog about how I do this and why I think this is one of the best forms of cardio you can do now and in to your old age) on a treadmill or outside.  
  1. Get adequate rest daily:
    1. Make sure you get sufficient sleep every day

12.5 Keep good posture:

  1. At all times – when seated and standing.

There are many more of “Life’s lessons” to live by hence the “12.5” (not exhaustive in any way) tips but these are some simple ones that come to my mind as I write this and could add a little more life in to your years. It could add more vitality to you. Take it as a reminder, a catalyst or whichever way you want.

One of my goals is just to make you more ‘aware’. The rest (action and adaptation) is up to you.

More vitality … better energy … better opportunities …. Better life to you.

 

Until next time,

Photo op with a local resident and her dog. Lovely.

Photo op with a local resident and her dog. Lovely.

An old school pose.

An old school pose.

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Eating right actually takes less time than you think. Tip # 8: Limit and substitute your cups of coffee.

Paul V2 (1)

Not too long ago I was guilty of having one-too-many with this one.

It can be addictive.

I admit I drank anywhere between 3 and 5 cups of black coffee per day. I have worked my way down to a maximum of 3 a day, taken at the right time. But I have implemented an important change and it is my primary suggestion in this blog.

What about you? Do you have coffee? How much do you have per day?

When used sensibly, caffeine-rich beverages can be a smart ‘pick-me-up’ drink to boost your alertness and satisfy your caffeine ‘hit’ during your work day. It fires your adrenaline which in turn helps mobilize fat cells and taps in to stores of glycogen (stored carbohydrates) for energy.

Here’s my suggestion or tip (Tip # 8): Try to limit your succeeding cups of coffees by switching one or two cups of coffee with decaffeinated tea.

I must admit I have learned this one off my wife who is quite diligent in substituting caffeinated-free tea for cups of coffee. I learned that it can surely trick your body in to thinking its getting what its used to, without adding extra calories (depending on how you take it) to your daily total.

Even if you drink your coffee like I do (straight black), I have also learned that too much of it can still be one of the reasons your progress in body re-engineering is stalling. You see, excess caffeine triggers more of the release of the stress-hormone “cortisol”. Why is this not ideal? Well, the cortisol regulates many biological functions – from blood pressure to efficiently using the proteins, fats and carbohydrates that you consume.

Sound good? Yes it might sound good but having too much cortisol in your system can be detrimental to your brain, leak calcium from your bones and may lower your immune system.

Not good.

Coffee (black coffee) can certainly assist you in losing fat but only when used at the right time. When should you use it to maximize fat loss? I try and take it 20 to 30 minutes prior to my cardio session or workout as this is shown to assist in the mobilization of more fat cells and use.

However, like I mentioned earlier, excess caffeine taken at the wrong time, can have a negative impact on your weight loss too. Excess cortisol raises insulin levels as your sugar levels rise. This encourages the body to store the excess calories as fat.

Again, not good.

Also, coffee acts as a diuretic and so forces water out of your body via increased toilet visits. In fact for every cup of coffee you drink, you may likely need to drink two cups of water to replace the amount of liquid the coffee drink forces you to urinate out.

Not good again.

This is not good but compounds this effect is that people replace this first cup of coffee with another cup and so become even more water de-hydrated. This is not ideal also in your quest for building and keeping good lean muscle mass.

If you find yourself in this situation do yourself a favour and stop this cycle now by substituting that second cup of coffee with a de-caffeinated cup of tea.

I thank my beautiful and loving wife, Cathy for this one.

It should only take you a minute of your time.

Total estimated time for previous 7 tips (b/f) = 20 minutes

Add time for this tip (Tip #8) = 1 minute

Total estimate time to apply All Tips (8) = 21 minutes.

My top 8 practical Tips to a better, healthier you takes only an estimated 21 minutes out of your day. Safely, supporting my original goal of proving to you that my top 10 tips to eating healthy takes less time than you think – in this instance it should take you a grand total of 21 minutes to eat healthy in your day.

Don’t tell yourself that you don’t have the time to do this. Instead ask yourself  can you afford not to do it.

Apply Action.

Adapt.

Try it. Feel better!

 

Until next time,

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